e painted
the shield and new-crested the morion the first year of my prenticeship,
when the Earl of Richmond, the late King Harry of blessed memory, had
newly landed at Milford Haven."

"Verily," said Ambrose, "our uncle Richard Birkenholt fought at Bosworth
under Sir Richard Pole's banner."

"A tall and stalwart esquire, methinks," said Master Headley. "Is he
the kinsman you seek?"

"Not so, sir. We visited him at Winchester, and found him sorely old
and with failing wits. We be on our way to our mother's brother, Master
Harry Randall."

"Is he clerk or layman? My Lord of York entertaineth enow of both,"
said Master Headley.

"Lay assuredly, sir," returned Stephen; "I trust to him to find me some
preferment as page or the like."

"Know'st thou the man, Tibble?" inquired the master.

"Not among the men-at-arms, sir," was the answer; "but there be a many
of them whose right names we never hear. However, he will be easily
found if my Lord of York be returned from Windsor with his train."

"Then will we go forward together, my young Masters Birkenholt. I am
not going to part with my doughty champions!"--patting Stephen's
shoulder. "Ye'd not think that these light-heeled knaves belonged to
the brave craft of armourers."

"Certainly not," thought the lads, whose notion of armourers was derived
from the brawny blacksmith of Lyndhurst, who sharpened their boar spears
and shod their horses. They made some kind of assent, and Master
Headley went on. "These be the times. This is what peace hath brought
us to! I am called down to Salisbury to take charge of the goods,
chattels, and estate of my kinsman, Robert Headley--Saints rest his
soul!--and to bring home yonder spark, my godson, whose indentures have
been made over to me. And I may not ride a mile after sunset without
being set upon by a sort of robbers, who must have guessed over-well
what a pack of cowards they had to deal with."

"Sir," cried the younger Giles, "I swear to you that I struck right and
left. I did all that man could do, but these rogues of serving-men,
they fled, and dragged me along with them, and I deemed you were of our
company till we dismounted."

"Did you so? Methought anon you saw me go down with three pikes in my
breast. Come, come, godson Giles, speech will not mend it! Thou art
but a green, town-bred lad, a mother's darling, and mayst be a brave man
yet, only don't dread to tell the honest truth that you were afeard, a